Health Fitness at MQ

Between assignments, exams and winter, curling up on the couch in front of TV is the most desirable thing to do, however, maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle is the most desirable outcome. We have researched and found 5 easy exercises to do in the comfort of your home during winter to get the blood pumping! plank Start on your hands and toes, see if you can hold it for 30 seconds - with no lower back pain. Then progress your plank by touching to your opposite shoulder while keeping your hips perfectly still and parallel to the ground. squat Start by sitting and standing on a chair without using your hands, as this gets easy, progress the depth of the chair. To increase the difficulty of your squat, see if you can sit down and stand up on the chair using only one leg. Place your hands out in front of you to help counter balance your weight. lunge Start with an in place lunge, if you feel unbalanced on your feet, place your hands on a bench to keep you stable. Progress

Time is precious and money even more so - particularly for a University student! Managing exercise, social life and a healthy diet can be tricky, so we have collated a number of FREE  workout apps, for android and iOS! These apps are designed to encourage you to workout at home for free. We've done the hard work for you by listing the apps below! 1. Sworkit Choosing either cardio, yoga, strength training or stretching, this app comes with a timer from 5 to 60 minutes and demonstrates how to do all the exercises. 2.   Keelo This cross-fit level workout provides high-intensity exercises to help you within the comfort of your own home, or beyond the gym. The app gives you exclusive access to a virtual coach  who responds to questions and provides feedback on your workouts (almost like a celebrity personal trainer!) 3. Daily Ab Workout Focusing on your core, this app is the best to tone and strengthen your abdominals and helps you count your reps! 4. Daily Yoga

Ever craved a snack in-between lectures? Coffee queue too long? Not enough spare change? Health conscious? We're here to help! We've collected three of the easiest NO-BAKE recipes for healthy snacks to take to uni!  1. Coconut Chocolate Energy Truffle (makes 40) Ingredients: For the Truffles: 2 cups pitted medjool dates, coarsely chopped 1 cup boiling water 1 cup raw almonds 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp sea salt 3/4 coconut flour 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder For the Chocolate coating: 1 cup dark chocolate, cut into shards 2 tbsp coconut oil 1/2 cup boiling water 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut Method: Place dates in a small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over them and let stand until cool, about 40 minutes. Process almonds in a food processor until creamy, about 7minutes. Transfer the dates and liquid to the food processor. Add coconut oil, vanilla and salt; puree until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice. A

Have you ever wanted to start your day with a quick and easy breakfast that was packed full of nutrients and energy whilst also tasting amazing? Are you tired of the bland 'protein shakes' you've been buying at the supermarket? Well you can try out these 3 delicious recipes which consist of fresh ingredients providing the taste and texture you want to start your day with. To make any of these shakes, just throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend to your desired consistency. Wild Berry Shake: 2 scoops whey protein 8 raspberries 4 strawberries 15 blueberries 2 cups nonfat milk 1 handful ice Strawberry Savior Shake: 4 scoops vanilla whey protein 1 cup water 1 cup strawberry Greek yogurt 3 frozen strawberries 1 scoop creatine 1 tsp flaxseed oil Honey Banana Shake: 1 cup water 1 scoop vanilla whey protein 3/4 cup natural Greek yogurt 1 banana 1 tsp flaxseed oil 2 tsp honey 1 tsp spirulina Daniel Lui 44626932

Step 1: 4 minute exercises. These exercises are targeted at time poor students that struggle to find the motivation and time in their day to work out. Working out creates a healthy balanced lifestyle when paired with healthy eating and other factors. We have tried and tested this work out and believe it is beneficial! And... it only takes 4 minutes! 4 Minute Workout: 0:00 - Squat 0:20 - REST 0:30 - Mountain Climbers 0:50 - REST 1:00 - High Knees 1:20 -  REST 1:30 - Jumping Jacks 1:50 -  REST 2:00 - Squat 2:20 -  REST 2:30 - Mountain Climbers 2:50 -  REST 3:00 - High Knees 3:20 -  REST 3:30 - Jumping Jacks 3:50 -  REST 4:00 - DONE! (Madeleine Robson 44878265)

Though the life of a university student may appear easy for some, i.e. going to parties, skipping lectures, passing units and hanging with friends, for others it's not quite that simple. With the struggle of trying to maintain a balanced lifestyle of studying well and regularly, enjoying a friendly social life, getting enough daily exercise, spending time with family and finally, getting enough sleep, university students can often find them selves stressing out which can have a very negative impact on both their physical and mental health. Over the weeks to come, these blogs will explore and address the best ways to manage time, tackle stressful hurdles, exercises to do, methods of studying and the healthiest ways to balance a healthy lifestyle. Rohan Arora (44591039)

Welcome to this blog about Health and Fitness!  This blog targets students at Macquarie Univeristy who have busy schedules and looking to maintain a balanced lifestyle. This blog will help students find easy and simple ways to help improve their lifestyle whilst on campus and in their everyday lives. Each week we hope to focus on a variety of topics to suit all individuals and provide a range of tips that can be beneficial for these busy students. Watch this space for weekly updates and new ideas to keep fit, healthy and motivated whilst at uni!